It shouldn't be a matter of allowances, when freedom of speech is involved. People state a lot of things about others all over the 'news', shit shows, etc and no one speaks of allowances. Whether it's calling a politician a liar, an activist a phony, whatever,
The source of Christianity is Christ, Christ's precepts and admonitions are what define Christianity. And by the definition of Christianity, Broussard is correct. Claiming to be a Christian while walking against those precepts make you a non-Christian. It makes one disobedient to Christ's commandments.
There aren't flavors, there are truths and then there are long propagated misconceptions. So long in fact that they are taken as truths for their endurance. They serve wonderfully to denigrate the faith (ala Westboro) and to do just what Jesus talked about, when referring to stumbling Christians with strange doctrines.
I can't claim to be a Jew and ignore what makes a Jew a Jew and simply call it flavor. Judaism is specific and Christianity is no different as I know Islam and Hinduism are alike in that sense.
The idea that the same God who said 'strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life' promotes a convenient pick and choose doctrine is entirely unbiblical and not Christian. It's a man-made idea to portray Gods will falsely. The same God who said I am the way, the truth and the life', 'no man comes to the Father but by me', was talking about Christianity. Not a man made ideology, malleable to notions of cultural changes over time.
◦ Closet Gay/Premarital Heterosexual Sex: Good Christian? Nope.
◦ Openly Gay/Premarital Heterosexual Sex: Bad Christian? Not Christian.
◦ Shit, what about people who identify as gay but haven't even had sex yet? Still needing to seek Christ
◦ Could an openly gay yet celibate couple call themselves good Christians? No.
No one who honestly pursues God and studies his word can call themselves good. Even those who refrain from sin, based on their own moral efforts. It becomes evidently clear that Jesus didn't die in vain, but because we cannot refrain from sin.
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What influence? Over whom and pertaining to what?
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The influence of a public figure falsely calling himself a Christian, while living a homosexual lifestyle. Pertaining to naive people who think Christianity is defined by men on television.
Does it sound reasonable that Jesus counseled that simply looking at a woman with lust in your heart is adultery, but added a silent caveat that sodomy is a-ok? That he has change his mind over the millennia since Sodom, Assyria, Canaan, and Israel itself?
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Not sure where this came from.
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My comment came in response to someone falsely claiming to be a Christian.
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That's your position.
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And none of this is my position. It's God's position, based, again, on defining Christianity from it's source. I don't define Christianity, I just seek to be one and to become closer to God through Christ.
I'm assuming you are a non-believer and don't think scripture would matter, but if you're going to debate God and Christianity at some point Satan has to be mentioned. If you have any questions as to why flavors or counterfeits would arise - after all, you can't counterfeit something that doesn't exist, you need look no further than him. He's not red, with appointed tail, proclaiming evil. He's pretending to be a victim, a friend and an angel of light.
I can point everything out scripturally point by point. I hope I'm not coming across as contentious. I'll answer any question asked and have no reservations or reason to be defensive over it.
